By Jack Spaulding

It’s not too early to start thinking about the 2022 spring wild turkey season, beginning with the youth weekend April 23-24. The regular spring turkey season will begin April 27 and will run through May 15. The bag limit is one bearded or male wild turkey per hunter. A spring turkey license and a game bird habitat stamp are required to hunt turkey during the season unless an individual is exempt.

Preseason scouting improves hunter success. It is still a little early to start scouting for stand set ups as the flocks are still separated into large groups of mature toms and groups of jakes and females. The large flocks will not break up until warmer weather. Prospective hunters should check their equipment to make sure they have everything needed before the hunt. Information, including gobbler counts, harvest reports and county data and regulations, is available on our wild turkey website.

A reminder to gun hunters: Shot shell ammunition was in short supply last year, and supply chain shortages have continued into 2022. Buy your ammo early to avoid delays, or prepare to use archery equipment for the spring season.

Input on deep management

On Jan. 31, hunters and other involved outdoor lovers received an email inviting participation in the 2022 Deer Management Survey. The survey collects input from individuals (both hunters and non-hunting individuals) interested in Indiana’s deer management. Indiana’s DNR uses the results to set the annual antlerless quota, understand opinions on current deer management topics, and identify new topics needing to be addressed or studied. The results from the annual Deer Management Survey are posted online. Take part in responsible deer herd management in Indiana by taking this year’s survey. If you did not receive a survey and would like to receive an invitation, send an email to: DeerSurvey@dnr.IN.gov.

Nesting season for Canada geese

Canada geese begin scouting for nesting areas this month. If you want to keep geese off your property, now is the time to start preparing. Geese prefer to nest near bodies of water surrounded by short, mowed grass and often return to where they have had previous nesting success. Well-kept lawns provide geese with food and a clear line of sight to see predators. Using harassment techniques, installing fencing and stopping supplemental feeding can help to prevent unwanted nesting on your property. Efforts to deter Canada geese are not effective if supplemental foods such as bread or birdseed are provided.

ORV fatal accidents

Indiana Conservation Officers are investigating a fatal off-road vehicle (ORV) accident that occurred early in the morning of Feb. 5 in Allen County.

At 12:30 a.m., Thomas Tippman, 51, of Fort Wayne, was operating a side-by-side ORV with three passengers on a frozen pond on private property near the 8600 block of Flutter Road in Fort Wayne.

While maneuvering the ORV and attempting a sharp turn, the ORV flipped, ejecting and pinning 50-year-old Suzanne Tippman underneath. She was transported to Parkview Regional Medical Center in Fort Wayne and was later pronounced dead.

None of the occupants on the ORV were wearing helmets, safety harness/seatbelts or protective riding gear. The accident is still under investigation.

In an unrelated accident, Indiana Conservation Officers are investigating an off-road vehicle (ORV) accident that claimed the life of an Elizabeth, Ind., juvenile.

Responders were dispatched Feb. 5 to an address off Highway 11 in Elizabeth at 4 p.m. after receiving a call from the 13-year-old operator of the ORV. The 12-year-old passenger, who sustained serious injuries, was transported to Norton Children’s Hospital in Louisville, Ky., and was pronounced dead at 12:38 a.m. The operator was uninjured. The incident is still under investigation.

Indiana Conservation Officers strongly encourage operators and passengers to always wear a helmet and safety equipment when operating or riding in or on an ORV to prevent or reduce possible injury.

Hudson man injured in hunting accident

Indiana Conservation Officers are investigating a hunting accident that occurred Feb. 5 in Northwest Steuben County.

Gunnar Penick, 23, of Hudson, was coyote hunting on private property when the accident occurred. Initial investigation reveals Penick was removing his firearm from the cab of his truck to hunt when the firearm discharged striking him in his upper left arm.

Penick was transported to Cameron Community Hospital in Angola in good condition.

Indiana Conservation Officers would like to remind everyone to follow safe firearms handling procedures when transporting firearms in a vehicle and always remember the safest way to transport a firearm is unloaded and properly cased.

Readers can contact the author by writing to this publication, or e-mail at jackspaulding@hughes.net. Spaulding’s books, “The Best Of Spaulding Outdoors” and “The Coon Hunter And The Kid,” are available from Amazon.com as a paperback or Kindle download.